Henry d



ritten tetes stent Letters Patent No. 82,657, dated September 29, 1868.

IMPBOVED CLOTHES-DRIRE.

@its riphnlt. refemi tu im figue trttrrs rztin nntmrcking part nftigesame.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HNRY D. STRUSE, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings,and State ot" New York, have invented a new and improved Clothes-DryingFrame; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part ot" this specification, in which- Y Figure 1represents a sectional elevation: view of a clothes-drying frameconstructed according to my improvement. l i

FigureQ represents an end view, and

Figure 3 represents a plan view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is to provide for the elevationof clothingand other articles, whiledrying in the yardsof dwelling-houses, or i-nother'places where the room is restricted, to a height which will pla-eethem. out of the way of persons passing, and expose them to a moreunobstructed circulation oi air; and it consists in the arrangement ofvertically-sliding frames or stretchers, provided witha series of.connecting clothes-lines,

and movable up and down, under the control of cords,- uponsnitablestationary frames or standards.` wherebyfacility is a`orded forlowering the lines to a. convenient height to enable theclothes tobe'hung upon them, and afterwards raising themup out of the way ofpassers-by, and to such height that the circulation of air among them isunimpeded by fences or other obstructions near the ground.

In order that others may be better enabled to understand theconstruction and operation of my invention, I will proceed to describeit with reference to the drawings.

A A are two series of upright posts, secured to a suitable base, B, andbraced at the top byeross-pieces, E E, the whole constituting astationary frame. Instead of the base, B, the uprights A may have theirlower ends driven into the ground, or may be secured nany other suitablemanner, thereby dispensing with the said base. I l l v C C are thevertically-sliding frames or stretchers, each fitted to slide verticallyon one of the series of uprights A A, upon which they are kepthorizontalby sliding jaws or clamps a. These stretchers C are provided upon theirinner sides with h'ooks or loops e, to which is secured Va series ofclothes-lines, a, which extend from one stretcher to the other, and uponwhich clothing or other articles may be suspended in theusual manncr tobe dried. At the central and highest point of these btretchers C areprovided pulleyspp. Within the" two centraluprights, A,vat each end ofthe stationary frame, and near the upper extremities thereof'farcarranged pulleys q g'. 4 On the outside of one of these centraluprights, even withand opposite to pulley g', is an outside pulley, r.Inserted Ain the cross-pieces E E, just above'the pulleys g q,.are hooksor staples h h'. In the hook4 or staple h is secured-one end of a. cord,g, the other end of whichV extends downward and passes around pulleyp inthe apex of the stretcher C. Extending upward, the said cord passes overthe pulley q, in

the upper portion ofthe'central upright, A, and `thence extends acrossto the opposite end of the frame, and passes` over the pulley r. Anotherand similar-cord, which I will designate by g', is secured by one end tothe hook or staple h', and extending downward, passes around the pulleyp', whence it extends upward,and passes over the pulley q. I The ends ofthese two cords, g and g', which are not secured to the said hooks i h',may be secured to each other by a knot or otherwise. Y

In the operation of this invention, the sliding frames Aor stretchers CC are first lowered byloosening the lower end of the pulley-cord g fromits place of confinement, and the said frames or stretchers permitted todescend by their own weight, which lowering of the said frames orstretchers brings the line or lines a to a convenient height to`enablethe clothes or other articles to be hung thereon. The clothes orotherarticles are then hung upon the said cord a, and secured in the usualmanner, with clothes-pins or otherwise; and the frames or stretchers C Care again drawn upward, by tightening the cord g, until the clothes orother articles are elevated to a: suicient height to place lthem out ofthe way of passers-by, and wherethey may have the benefit of a moreunobstructed circulation of air, and the lower end of. the pulley-cordsecured as before.

After the clohes are suciertly dry, they may be lowered a/nd taken off,or replaced by 'other wet clothes, by loosening and lowering the slidingframes C C, as above described.

What I claim as my yinveni:ion, and desire to have secured by LettersPatent, is

The combination ofthe stretchers C, having guides c at each end, endcarrying the clothes-line a, with the corner-posts A, pulleys'p q r, andcords g, all arranged for operation, substantially as shown anddescribed, for the purpose set forth. Y

HENRY D. STRUSE. Witnesses:

A. Ln CLERC, A. KINNIER.

